Socket assembly for electronic vacuum tubes and the like



Oct. 29, 1957 i c. F. TE POEL ETAL 2,311,701

SOCKET ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRONIC VACUUM TUBES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 13, 1955 will gjifiry-m INVENTOR. CL HRENCE F. TE POEL- 'EDwnRo M. HRLLENBECK U/LeZamonJcl/wedo/L, (Zdannd/ H TTORNEVS United States Patent SOCKET ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRONIC VACUUM TUBES AND THE LIKE Clarence F. TePoel and Edward M. Hallenbeck, Madison,

S. Dak., assignors f one-third to Richard A. Parker,

This invention relates generally to a novel and improved socket assembly for electronic vacuum tubes and the like.

It is an object of our present invention to provide a socket for electronic tubes and the like particularly constructed to provide all of the contact elements on the same side of a mounting panel as the vacuum tube to facilitate construction, testing and servicing of the electronic circuit.

It is another object to provide a socket assembly for pronged electronic vacuum tubes having a mounting disc made from non-conductive material with prong-receiving socket elements carried thereby and connected with the respective contact elements which are disposed on the same side thereof as is the vacuum tube whereby connections between the respective prong-receiving socket elements and the other parts of the electronic circuit may all be made on the same side of the mounting disc as the tube to facilitate manufacture and servicing of the circuit.

It is still another object to provide a socket for electronic vacuum tubes and the like which is particularly constructed to permit the same to be securely anchored to a mounting panel solely by the electrical connections made between the respective electrical contact elements thereof and the conductor elements from the other parts of the electronic circuit.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of our invention; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, we provide a mounting panel or body panel 5 having a front surface 5a and a back surface 512. A mounting disc 6 is positioned adjacent the front side of the panel 5 and has a plurality of socket elements 7 extending outwardly from the back side thereof.

A plurality of suitable apertures are provided in the panel 5 to receive the socket elements 7 as best shown in Fig. 2 and in the form shown, each of the socket elements terminates at its front end substantially adjacent the front surface 5a of the panel 5.

A contact element 8 is connected with the upper edge of each socket 7 as being integrally formed therewith and extends radially outwardly from its respective socket to the peripheral edge of the disc 6 where it is doubled back upon itself to provide a portion extending inwardly in overlying relation to the disc 6. Suitable prong-receiving apertures 6a extend through the disc 6 in axial alignment with the apertures in panel 5 and also in axial alignment with the socket 7 mounted in the apertures of said panel 5. The socket elements 7 are designed to receive the respective prongs of a conventional vacuum tube and to securely anchor said prongs .in the socket by a pressed fit relation.

For assembly purposes, the sockets are held in place on the disc member 6 as by being crimped thereto with a portion of the contact element disposed on the back side ICC and the other portion being disposed on the front side of the disc. The entire unit is then mounted on the panel 5 by pressing the socket elements 7 through the apertures in the panel. Conductors 9 from the other parts and components of the electronic circuit extend across the back side of the panel 5 but project upwardly therethrough and through the respective contacts 8 wherever electrical contact is to be established with a selected socket as best shown in Fig. 2. This forwardly projecting portion of each conductor 9 is fixed to the portion of the contact element 8 disposed in overlying relation to the front side of the disc 6 and forms a rigid connection therewith to securely hold the disc 6, contact elements 8 and sockets 7 to said body panel 5 and form the sole means for anchoring said assembly thereto.

It will be seen that we have provided a relatively simple yet highly efficient electronic socket assembly for mounting pronged vacuum tubes onto an electronic panel.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes maybe made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of our invention which generally stated consists in the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A socket assembly for vacuum tubes and the like comprising a stifi body panel made from non-conductive material and having a front side and back side thereof, a mounting disc disposed on the front side of said panel, said mounting disc and body panel having a plurality of axially aligned apertures formed therethrough, a plurality of socket elements respectively mounted in certain of the apertures through said body with the upper ends thereof terminating adjacent the front side thereof, a contact element connected with the front end of each socket element and extending radially outwardly between said disc and said body panel to the outer edge of said mounting disc being in register with certainother of said apertures through the disc and panel and being doubled back upon itself to extend inwardly from the outer edge across the front side of said disc, and means establishing contact between the respective contact elements and the various components of the circuit consisting in wire like members extending from the back to the front side of said panel and through said disc with a rigid contact being formed between said conductor and the front side of said contact element and said wire-like members being bent adjacent the back of said panel to form the sole means for anchoring the entire socket assembly to the body panel.

2. A socket assembly for vacuum tubes and the like comprising a body panel made from non-conductive material and having a front side and a back side thereof, a mounting disc disposed on the front side of said panel, said mounting disc and said body panel having a pair of generally concentrically arranged rows of aligned openings formed therethrough, a plurality of socket elements respectively mounted in the inner openings through said body, a contact element connected with the front end of each socket element and extending radially outwardly between the disc and said body into registration with the adjacent outer openings through said panel and said disc, and a connector element extending upwardly through selected outer apertures with stop means underlying said panel, the upper end of said connector being rigidly connected with the contact element to form the sole means for anchoring the entire socket assembly to the body panel.

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,723,384 Lang Nov. 8, 1955 2,730,690 Harasek Ian. 10, 1956 2,741,751 Weiler Apr. 10, 1956 

